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Mykal Fox, a 13-year-old amateur boxer from Temple Hills, lost the last time he faced a boxer from Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 2006.

The other guy "was more the aggressor," he said, and threw more punches.

But the Largo High School freshman, who trains at the Dream Team Boxing Gym in Clinton, may get a rematch when two boxing clubs in Belfast host a tournament this spring as part of an ongoing exchange program that encourages young men to find common ground — inside and outside of the ring.

A local nonprofit plans to raise $30,000 to send 10 young boxers — eight from the Clinton gym and two from a youth group in Silver Spring — with chaperones to Belfast next year with Youth Champions for Change.

The first fundraising event, a party and art auction in Camp Springs, is scheduled for Saturday.

"I'd love to compete against them again," Mykal said. At the November 2006 fight, his competitor "didn't say much, he just punched."

Berrin International Charities, a local nonprofit that promotes international exchange, partnered with the Northern Ireland Bureau — the Washington, D.C.-based diplomatic arm of Northern Ireland — to bring together Protestant and Catholic boxers from two troubled neighborhoods in Belfast. They brought the young men to Washington first in 2006 and then again in April.

"These are young people who would not normally meet each other socially or educationally, but through boxing they've come together and formed close friendships," said bureau director Norman Houston.

Houston said the boys from Belfast, who are between 14 and 22 years old, have benefited from seeing how people from different backgrounds live together in the U.S.

At the previous two tournaments, Keely's District Boxing and Youth Center in D.C. hosted the events and provided most of the competitors. Mykal and another boy were brought in to the 2006 tournament since organizers needed more fighters.

However, when the Holy Trinity and Monkstown boxing clubs in Belfast extended an invitation to host the event in 2010, Charles Berrin, who runs Berrin International Charities, decided he would send boxers from his area instead.

Berrin, who lives in Fort Washington, found the Dream Team Boxing Gym by chance while searching online. He contacted Troy Fox, one of the coaches and Mykal Fox's father, in August.

Troy Fox said he liked the idea since it would expose his boxers to new fighting styles as well as new cultures.

"If they can see Ireland, that's worth a week out of school," he said.

Troy Fox has volunteered as a coach for 10 years. He said the gym, located in a converted garage, attracts boxers as young as 7 to men in their 30s from throughout the county.

He has started thinking about which boxers to send, but he said some of the decisions will depend on the weights and ages of the boxers in Belfast.

Berrin also said he would like to select some young men who may not be the best boxers but demonstrate good character and a dedication to the sport.

Boxing is a good way to build relationships because of its emphasis on personal responsibility, Troy Fox said.

"The kids train hard," he said. "If they come across a loss, they respect the other guy."

E-mail Zoe Tillman at ztillman@gazette.net.